A storm is brewing at Teso College Aloet, one of Uganda’s once-celebrated academic giants, as old students raise alarm over the school’s declining performance, alleged staff suppression, and plummeting enrollment numbers.
The head teacher, Mr. Julius Opasso, is under growing pressure from a section of the school’s alumni, led by outspoken old boy Mr. Jude Elepu, who accuses the school’s leadership of contributing to its academic slide and creating a hostile work environment for teachers.
“Teso College Aloet used to be among the top 100 science schools in Uganda. The recently released UACE results show the school languishing at position 522. This is a national shame,” Mr. Elepu said.
Mr. Elepu did not mince words, accusing Mr. Opasso of orchestrating the transfer of teachers who disagree with his leadership style, and creating a toxic work culture that has crippled teamwork among staff.
“Teachers no longer work as a team. There is no unifying factor in the school. And worse still, old boys who raise dissenting opinions are being excluded from engagement forums,” Elepu charged
The alumni’s concerns come amid growing frustrations within the teaching staff.
One teacher, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, said staff meetings have become ineffective due to a “fear factor.”
“We come to school, we teach, and we retreat. The meetings no longer inspire progress. It’s about survival,” the teacher said.
The old students are also sounding the alarm over rapidly declining student enrollment, a signal they say points to waning confidence in the institution.
“Senior One enrollment has dropped from 400 to just 223 students. Senior Five managed to attract only 96 students. That is unacceptable for a school of Teso College’s stature,” Elepu added.
The Teso College Aloet Alumni Association chairperson, Mr. James Ebitu, called for calm, stating that the alumni’s role is to advise, not to police the administration.
“We acknowledge the concerns, but we are not a pressure group. In education, you don’t assess a school by one result or one student, you look at broader trends,” Mr. Ebitu said.
He confirmed that a crisis meeting involving the school board, staff, and old students will soon be convened to address the issues and forge a way forward.
Mr. Opasso defended his administration’s performance, pointing to what he termed as “consistent improvement” in academic results since 2019.
“This year alone, we had 26 As and five of our best students scored 18 points each. The absence of 20s or 19s this time seems to have stirred unnecessary tension, but that doesn’t mean we failed,” he argued.
Mr. Opasso also dismissed the allegations of disunity as exaggerated.
“We hold weekly staff meetings to review our performance and strategies. We believe in continuous dialogue,” he said.
The chairperson of the Board of Governors, Ms. Roselinda Oyuu, also came to the school’s defense, urging stakeholders to consider the broader context in which the school operates.
“Let us not forget, we admit students from some of the most rural schools in the region. The foundation is weak from the start. We’re doing our best to uplift them,” she said.
In last year’s UACE results, the school registered commendable achievements: 5 students scored 18 points in sciences, another 5 had 17 points, while 4 each had 16 and 15 points in science subjects. The best arts student scored 15 points in History, Literature, and ICT.
Still, critics argue that the overall performance and national standing have slipped too far for comfort, and that the school’s leadership must be held accountable.
“For the sake of our children, we must fight to restore Teso College Aloet to its former glory,” said Mr. Elepu.
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I as the former pelican (2009-2012) even now fears to brag about my TCA. My confidence in the school has been ruined . A quick solution needs to be forged forward.
The once respected school in performance is now a place of gumbling results.
There is a growing fear among parents to take their children to Teso college Aloet due to the fact that it’s no longer safe as children are indoctrinated into marijuana smoking that’s the real reason for academic decline and low entry to both lower and higher classes.